France gets a bad rap when it comes to paperwork and bureaucracy, and all for very good reason, as you are about to discover. It took me about five or six separate meetings with various people sorting out various things before I once went to one where I had all the right documents. Here I will list exactly what those are, so hopefully you can skip the infuriating trial-and-error period that many have to go through.
Obviously, having a French bank account is very important. A French bank account comes with a 'RIB' - a long code which is absolutely essential for you to function in France, not least because your employer requires it to pay you. (It also comes with a 'BIC/Swift' code, an IBAN number and the code of the bank you are with.) 'RIB' might not mean very much to you now, but by the time you get one you may well weep with joy.
Choosing your bank. A bit of background on the way French banks (and France in general) works: everything has to be done the painstaking old-fashioned way. If you are from the UK, you will know how blissfully easy it is to set up a bank account: 10 minutes on your phone and a bank card in the post in a few working days. France, however, is a different beast, and one that will only lead to extra stress if you try to fight it. Just do it the way they want you to, even if that means a three week period from start to finish.
A word on Nickel and any banks which seem vaguely modern: don't do it. Nickel is an online bank which you can open an account with very quickly and easily, much like a UK bank. Do not be fooled by its 21st Century charms. What did I tell you? Everything must be done the old-fashioned way. I myself, after going down many different avenues of different banks and having to abandon each, ended up just going with Nickel because I desperately needed a French bank account, and I was overjoyed to at last be in possession of a RIB. The joy quickly turned to an angry cry in Macdonalds when I discovered that all the main telecoms companies - i.e. WiFi companies - will refuse to deal with you if you bank with Nickel, because they don't trust it. In short, you need to do it the slow, old-fashioned way with a slow, old-fashioned bank, otherwise companies won't sell you anything, and you'll only have wasted €20 opening the account like I did.
So who do I bank with? Well, you can go down the avenue of international banks aimed at helping foreigners (particularly Brits) set up a French bank account. BNP Paribas, for example. I went down the route of Britline, a branch of Credit Agricole, as it is an English-speaking bank service, however they ask for a massive first deposit (in the thousands of euros) and then I realised it was not for the likes of me. The French equivalent of the Post Office also offers bank accounts under La Banque Postale, and there is also LCL, HSBC, Credit Mutuel, BPCE, AXA, Caisse D'Epargne and Société Générale. When choosing one to pick, it is very wise to go with one that has a branch in your town, as you will be going back and forth from here to have meetings, cash cheques (yes, France still uses cheques a lot, told you they're old-fashioned) and other unforeseen issues that will arise as a matter of course.
Once you have chosen a bank, you will need to go to the branch, tell them you want to open a compte courant (see vocab below) and arrange a rendezvous (meeting). I had to wait 8 (yes eight) days for my rendezvous, however it did give me some time to gather together all the documents I would need and request any I didn't have.
Here is a compendium of all the documents you must take with you, if they apply to you. It is a very good idea to come to France with photocopies of all of these, however if you haven't got copies, there are normally photocopiers in libraries or mediathèques or la poste branches for €0.30 a copy.
~ At the bank, you will also do yourself a great favour if you sort out housing insurance while you're there - it's a legal requirement in France. My next post will be about that so read that too before your meeting and you will thank yourself later ~
In the meantime, you can also learn a bit of banking vocabulary that you're going to see time and time again. It's useful to have it learnt before the meeting, otherwise you are not going to know what is going on and be extra stressed:
As mentioned, the next post will be all about housing insurance. I know. C'est dur. Here's a pretty picture of France to remind you why it's all worth it.
Obviously, having a French bank account is very important. A French bank account comes with a 'RIB' - a long code which is absolutely essential for you to function in France, not least because your employer requires it to pay you. (It also comes with a 'BIC/Swift' code, an IBAN number and the code of the bank you are with.) 'RIB' might not mean very much to you now, but by the time you get one you may well weep with joy.
Choosing your bank. A bit of background on the way French banks (and France in general) works: everything has to be done the painstaking old-fashioned way. If you are from the UK, you will know how blissfully easy it is to set up a bank account: 10 minutes on your phone and a bank card in the post in a few working days. France, however, is a different beast, and one that will only lead to extra stress if you try to fight it. Just do it the way they want you to, even if that means a three week period from start to finish.
A word on Nickel and any banks which seem vaguely modern: don't do it. Nickel is an online bank which you can open an account with very quickly and easily, much like a UK bank. Do not be fooled by its 21st Century charms. What did I tell you? Everything must be done the old-fashioned way. I myself, after going down many different avenues of different banks and having to abandon each, ended up just going with Nickel because I desperately needed a French bank account, and I was overjoyed to at last be in possession of a RIB. The joy quickly turned to an angry cry in Macdonalds when I discovered that all the main telecoms companies - i.e. WiFi companies - will refuse to deal with you if you bank with Nickel, because they don't trust it. In short, you need to do it the slow, old-fashioned way with a slow, old-fashioned bank, otherwise companies won't sell you anything, and you'll only have wasted €20 opening the account like I did.
So who do I bank with? Well, you can go down the avenue of international banks aimed at helping foreigners (particularly Brits) set up a French bank account. BNP Paribas, for example. I went down the route of Britline, a branch of Credit Agricole, as it is an English-speaking bank service, however they ask for a massive first deposit (in the thousands of euros) and then I realised it was not for the likes of me. The French equivalent of the Post Office also offers bank accounts under La Banque Postale, and there is also LCL, HSBC, Credit Mutuel, BPCE, AXA, Caisse D'Epargne and Société Générale. When choosing one to pick, it is very wise to go with one that has a branch in your town, as you will be going back and forth from here to have meetings, cash cheques (yes, France still uses cheques a lot, told you they're old-fashioned) and other unforeseen issues that will arise as a matter of course.
Once you have chosen a bank, you will need to go to the branch, tell them you want to open a compte courant (see vocab below) and arrange a rendezvous (meeting). I had to wait 8 (yes eight) days for my rendezvous, however it did give me some time to gather together all the documents I would need and request any I didn't have.
Here is a compendium of all the documents you must take with you, if they apply to you. It is a very good idea to come to France with photocopies of all of these, however if you haven't got copies, there are normally photocopiers in libraries or mediathèques or la poste branches for €0.30 a copy.
- Your valid passport and a copy
- Another valid form of ID and a copy
- Your birth certificate and a copy
- Your contract with your employer stating how much you will be paid each month
- If you will be getting monthly payments from any other source, e.g. a British Council grant, proof of the agreement including amount of monthly payments (don't skip this part if it's relevant to you)
- Your French social security number (if you have one)
- Your lease from your landlord/lady, or your rent receipts (quittances de loyer)
- A proof of address, e.g. an EDF bill or letter, or a government letter
- The last three months' worth of bank statements
- Previous payslips especially if they are French
- Details of another bank account (can be UK) in case they ask for it or you need to pay an up-front fee
- Your guarantor letter
- Your Visa if you're coming from outside the EU, or a residence permit
You may not be asked for all of these, however you should definitely take all of these with you. There may be other documents you are asked to bring that are not listed here - don't forget those too. In fact, it would be wise to buy or bring with you a big folder, clearly label each section and keep all of these documents in there, along with any other important-looking documents you are given. Then you can simply carry this around with you to every meeting you have, and never kick yourself for having left one crucial piece of paper behind (one small mistake like this can literally set you back weeks if you have to wait for another rendezvous because you left your proof of address behind).
~ At the bank, you will also do yourself a great favour if you sort out housing insurance while you're there - it's a legal requirement in France. My next post will be about that so read that too before your meeting and you will thank yourself later ~
In the meantime, you can also learn a bit of banking vocabulary that you're going to see time and time again. It's useful to have it learnt before the meeting, otherwise you are not going to know what is going on and be extra stressed:
- virement = transfer
- prélèvement = direct debit
- prélevé = debited (money taken out of account)
- compte courant = current account
- chéquier = chequebook
- versement = payment/bank transfer
- espèces = cash
- frais = fee(s)
Once you get this far, you've had your meeting, you've given them all the correct pieces of paper and they're happy - hooray! You can celebrate for ten seconds, you've done one of the hardest parts of moving to France! Now, you wait to receive your bank card, PIN number, and sheet of paper containing the RIB and other important information, which will all come separately in the next week or so.
But you're not quite finished yet. Setting up online banking is obviously very important. France has a very niggly system for logging onto online banking, in a browser as well as in the (2001-looking) app, so it's going to be a pain to do, and the bank may want you to come back in for another meeting to set this up. With my bank, it was such a bother to get hold of a password to log in with, but I got around it by requesting a new password - which came in the post, as does everything in France.
Once you reach this stage, you can celebrate for real. It's no small feat setting up a bank account in France as a foreigner, especially if you don't have a French adult helping you with it. Luckily, once you have your RIB and a bank account (that the telecoms companies will accept), other things will begin to fall into place.
As mentioned, the next post will be all about housing insurance. I know. C'est dur. Here's a pretty picture of France to remind you why it's all worth it.
Emily
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